Vertebrate Zoology

Tasmania is home to some of Australia’s most iconic vertebrate wildlife, including wedge-tailed eagles, Tasmanian devils, quolls, echidnas, and platypus.

Being situated at the intersection of currents leading from the Pacific, Southern and Indian Oceans, we are also a sighting and strandings hotspot for a wide range of marine megafauna, including whales, seals, and sea turtles.

TMAG’s Vertebrate Zoology collections seek to capture a continuous record of Tasmania’s biodiversity and its changes over time.

The collections include over 26,000 registered specimens, maintained across a range of preservation methods as skeletons, study skins, taxidermy mounts, or ethanol-preserved wet specimens.

The collections include important type specimens and historical taxidermy, as well as extinct animals such as the thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) and King Island emus.

We also maintain a collection of frozen tissues and samples for future genetic research and toxicology analysis.